Exploring the Islands

Croagh Patrick and Clare Island are the two most recognizable icons in the Clew Bay area. It is also said that there is an island for every day of the year in the bay. Of course, much depends upon the definition of ‘island’, but even at high tide there are certainly more than one hundred distinctive pieces of land – drumlins – surrounded by water within the confines of the bay. Drumlins are the remnants of lateral moraines left behind by the last ice age, boulder clay and gravel covered with soil and grass. There are at least twice as many rock outcrops and drowned drumlins beneath the Atlantic waves.

Old Head and Clare Island Sunset

Several of the islands of Clew Bay are accessible without the need for a boat. There are a few important points to keep in mind should you decide to walk out to an island. Firstly, always check the tide tables before setting off. Attempting to reach the islands that are not connected to the mainland via bridge or causeway when the tide is coming in is never a good idea. Sea levels can rise over ten feet in Clew Bay on a ‘normal’ day. Secondly, it’s not a good idea to set off for the islands in bad weather or if poor weather is forecast, Squalls on Clew Bay can be sudden and dangerous, and hurricane force wind gusts are common, especially in winter. Thirdly, keep to the shoreline of the islands, do not walk across the fields. Although the vast majority are now uninhabited, most of the islands are leased by locals as grazing land for sheep, and sometimes cattle, and it’s always best to stay on the good side of the farmers.

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Several of the ‘outer’ islands of Westport Bay are also connected to each other at low tide. It is not unusual to see ‘roads’ across the tidal flats that are used by farmers to get supplies and livestock to and from these seemingly remote places. Although there are now only five or six islands inhabited year round, prior to the famine years the majority of islands larger than a few acres had many occupants.

Westport Bay from the Reek

Most of the large outer islands are inaccessible other than by boat, while those in the shallower waters of Westport and Newport Bays may be reached by foot at low tide. Of course, these include islands that have been connected to the mainland by a causeway or bridge, such as Rosmore, Inishnakillew and Inishcottle, but even islands that looking at a map may appear to be far out in the bay.

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One such island is Collan More, which is the largest mass of offshore land in the area, apart from Clare Island. Collan More (Collainn Mhór – formerly Cuileann or Holly Island) is an inhabited island situated in Newport Bay, just northwest of Rosmoney Pier. It can also be seen from the mainland at Roscahill, about nine kilometres from Westport (left off the N59 after about five kilometres and about three kilometres west).

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Collan More was inhabited by 218 people in 1841. In 1911, it included Collanmore National School and nine private dwellings occupied by forty people. By 2006, there were just eighteen inhabitants and the school had closed.

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Collan More is a long island, stretching from west to east. At its westernmost end is the island of Collan Beg. This too is reachable at low tide, across a narrow channel. Allow at least an hour to walk from the mainland to the western tip of Collan Beg. A stone’s throw away is the island of Inish Gort, home of the only working lighthouse in the area, and the entrance to Westport Bay. At this stage, you are at the most westerly point possible for a hiker in Clew Bay.

Shingle Bar between Inishgort and Island More, with Clare Island in the background

South of Collan More, on the other side of Rosmoney, are two other islands that are accessible by foot. Crovinish (Croibhinis – formerly Creamh Inis or Garlic Island) is an uninhabited island, southeast of Inishlyre and northwest of Inishgowla South. In 1841, the island had twenty two inhabitants, and by 1911 there were still sixteen people living on the island in three thatched dwellings, each of which had two rooms. Sixty year old Martin Fadden and his thirty-nine year old wife Mary lived in one home with their eight children at that time.

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Illanataggart (Oileán an tSagairt – Priest’s Island) is also currently uninhabited. In 1841, however, there were 33 persons living on this island and by 1911 just seven resided there.

Illanroe Island on a misty morning – Westport Bay

Beyond Clynish are the islands of Inishnakillew (Inis na Coille or ‘island of the wood’), Inishcottle (Inish Coitil or ‘Cottle’s Island’) and Moneybeg. Inishnakillew is connected to the mainland by a causeway, and the more remote Inishcottle is connected to Inishnakillew by another causeway. Both of these islands are currently inhabited. An area known as Carrigeenglas to the south of Inishcottle brings the hiker to Moneybeg Island. Here, a channel divides the island from the bigger mass of Clynish, which is one of the islands in Clew Bay currently inhabited. In 1841 there were 87 people living on Clynish. In 1911, twenty three people lived in three dwellings. By 2006, there were just five inhabitants.

North of Collan More, the coastline of Newport Bay is deeply indented. Here there are long, narrow peninsulas of land that in several cases are barely connected to the mainland by bridges or causeways. Although several of these fractured pieces of land are not specifically identified as ‘islands’, they retain a tenuous relationship with the mainland.

Attached to one of the peninsulas is Rosmore. This ‘island’ is divided from the mainland by a 20-foot wide channel, which is crossed by a bridge.

There are other ‘mainland islands’ along the shores of Newport Bay, including Rosbarnagh (to the right of Rossanrubble peninsula), Inishturlin (northwest of Rosbarnagh), Roslaher/Rosbeg (south of Rossanrubble), Roslynagh (north of Inishdaweel), and Rosturk (north, towards Mulranny), which is accessible at low tide.

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There are a number of accessible islands near Westport, including Annagh (Oileán an Eanaigh), which is an uninhabited group of three islands situated in Westport Bay, just east of Murrisk. The islands are named Annagh West, Annagh Middle and Annagh East. These are located just off the Murrisk road, about nine kilometres from Westport. In 1841, Annagh East was inhabited by 33 people. Little trace of any dwelling remains today. Another is Cahernaran Island (Oileán Chathair na Reann), which is an uninhabited island situated in Westport Bay, south of Inisheeny. It is located just off the R335 road towards Louisburgh, on the right just before the Great Famine monument in Murrisk, about nine kilometres west of Westport (right at Carrowsallagh). Cahernaran is known for an ancient stone fort, now nearly destroyed. Illanroe (Red Island) is close to Rosbeg, about three miles out of town.